My St. Ives Obsession

I have never met a St. Ives product I didn't like, so I thought I would share some old favorites and new ones I'm loving!

The Apricot Scrub has been a favorite of mine since I was in high school. I love how clean and soft my skin feels after using it, especially when I double up on exfoliating and use it with my Clarisonic! I do this at most every other day, most of the time every 3 or 4 days.

The Collagen Elastin Moisturizer is a great face lotion but I like to use it all over! I keep a tub of it in the bathroom to use after showering and a tub in my bedroom vanity to use when I wake up in the morning- I love this stuff!

I've been wanting to try a spray lotion and when I saw that one of my favorite brands came out with one, of course had to get it! It smells great and sprays out so fine that you hardly have to rub it in. 

The Oatmeal Scrub + Mask has a clean earthy smell and is a little softer than the apricot scrub. Most of the time products that claim to be both a scrub and a mask are better at one or the other but this one really can do two jobs.

Finally, the Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub. This scrub again smells great, like all St. Ives products, and makes my skin feel soft and clean. 

Do you have any favorite St. Ives products? I'd love to hear!

Xoxo Lindsey 

Broccoli Slaw Spaghetti

Lets start by saying I'm on a very low carb diet right now and have been for a few weeks. While the weightloss is great, I'm starting to REALLY crave bread and pasta! I got on Pinterest in search of low carb alternatives and I'm going to tell you about one of my new favorites! 

First you take a bag of broccoli slaw, and put it in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil. I cooked mine on medium heat for about five mintues. Then I added some homemade turkey meatballs and marinara sauce to the pan and let that cook for a few minutes. When the sauce started bubbling I dumped it all into a bowl and sprinkled on a little parmesan cheese and TA DA! Spaghetti! 

To my surprise it tasted like pasta and was really good! I will defiantly be adding broccoli slaw to my weekly grocery list and experimenting with different sauces.

What are your favorite pasta alternatives? Is love to hear!

Xoxo Lindsey

Four Reasons to go to Target!

Every season I like to freshen up my wardrobe basics. I try to buy pieces that I can mix and match easily, but at the same time not spend tons of money. When I got on my trusty Target Cartwheel app and saw that their Merona brand was 25% off ( up to 4 items through May 17th ) I knew it was time to shop! Its no secret that I absolutely LOVE Target and their Merona brand is one of my favorites. I decided to take full advantage of the sale and grabbed four pieces that every girl needs to have in her closet: a simple cardigan, a plain white tshirt, flat front khaki shorts, and a classic navy and white striped tshirt.

Even when they aren't on sale, these items are still super affordable. The shorts and cardigan are only $19.99 regular price, striped tshirt $12.00, and the white tshirt $9.00. With the 25% off (and a $3 hello kitty toy to keep my daughter happy) my total was only $48.36!!

The white tshirt and khaki shorts are wardrobe staples you will wear over and over again all spring and summer long. The light grey cardigan is a simple and classic must have that is perfect for throwing over dresses and tanks. The navy and white striped tshirt is perfect for hitting the nautical trend that comes back every year. I put together a few quick ways to style these pieces with some of my favorite sandals. 

Adding jewelry and shoes is SO easy with basic outfits.  Throw on some wedges and a statement necklace to dress these looks up or keep it simple with sandals and add a small necklace or a watch. You cannot go wrong when styling basics! 

What are your favorite basics for summer? Id love to hear! Dont forget- the 25% off is only good on Cartwheel through May 17th!

xoxo Lindsey

(see my post on using the cartwheel app here )

Monkey Bread Muffins!

You will either love me or hate me by the end of this post...because these are some amazing muffins and you won't be able to eat just one!

MUFFINS:

1 can buttermilk biscuits

(I have used canned & ones I made from scratch- either are fine!)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Parchment cups or cupcake liners

TOPPING: (to be added on at the end)

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

To start, preheat oven to 350. Next, cut the biscuits into eighths. In a large mixing bowl mix sugar and cinnamon. Throw the little biscuit chunks into the cinnamon and mix well. Line a muffin tin (I like to use parchment cups but regular cupcake liners work too) and place 5 chunks per cup into each spot. 

Pop them in the oven for 25 min. While they're baking melt the 1/4 cup butter and mix with 1/4 cup sugar. After they've baked for 25 min take them out of the oven and spoon the sugar and butter mixture over each one and bake for 5 more minutes.

Let them cool (if you can!) and enjoy! Let me know what you think, I would love to hear!

Xoxo Lindsey

Car Snacks!

We are busy. As a family, we are constantly running around to hockey practice, swim lessons, a birthday party, or just regular errands- it's always something! One of the best ways to keep everyone happy while we're in the car is having drinks and snacks available. It helps us avoid fast food, but don't get me wrong- I'm not one of those mom who freaks out over a happy meal, and think every once in awhile they are okay!

At our house we do not buy chips, cookies, or fruit snacks. I do buy pretzels for the kids, but really like our family to eat fresh and healthy foods. In addition to grabbing apples, bananas, and baggies full of grapes, there are a few prepackaged snacks that I buy that my kids consider special treats.

Pirates Booty Cheddar Puffs, Simply Balanced Fruit Twists, Bear Natural Granola Packs, Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, Emerald Almonds, and GoGo Squeeze Natural Applesauce

These are all snacks that are loved by our entire family! For drinks, I cannot tell you how much I LOVE these Thermos FUNtainer bottles. They keep liquids cold for hours, and the top pops open to reveal a perfect kid sized straw. I love that the top covers the straw keeping germs away. 

I found both the bottles and all snacks at my favorite local Target store.

What are your favorite snack solutions? I'd love to hear! 

Xoxo Lindsey

My Must Haves: A Great Denim Jacket

Every girl needs a denim jacket, I consider it a wardrobe staple! I have four of them, all in different washes, because a girl needs options right?! My husband loves to make fun of my denim obsession. 

Anyways! Whether you throw it on with a tank and shorts in the summer or over a dress in the spring a good denim jacket is a timeless piece you will wear forever. I put together five of my favorites, all come in different washes, sizes, and price points- and three of them are brands that I personally have and love. 

(Click brand name to be directed to that's jackets website)

Top left: JCrew Factory (have and love!)

Regular price $85 - but with their amazing sales you can get it MUCH cheaper- I think I paid around $40!

Top right:Abercrombie (have 2 and love!) 

Regular price $98 - I got two in different washes for $19.99 each in store a few years ago

Bottom Left: Madewell

Regular Price $118 (watch stores and site for sales!)

Bottom Middle: Old Navy

Regular Price $34.94 (watch stores and site for sales!)

Bottom Right: Gap (have and love!)

Regular Price $69.95 - always watch for sales! I got mine in store for $17 a few years ago

What is your favorite denim jacket? I'd love to hear!

Xoxo Lindsey

The BEST lipgloss!

Hello! Sorry for the lack of posts lately- we've been very busy around here! Anyways- to the post!

Who doesn't love a good lip gloss? It's one of those products that even if you've got five in your purse and fifty more at home you always convince yourself you need another one, or at least I do!

Most of the time I'm a sucker for pretty packaging. If it comes in a cool tube I'll buy it! I've tried TONS of different brands from $30 Chanel to $1 ELF and everything in between. No one wants a lipgloss that is thick and sticky, or one that needs to be re applied every ten minutes. 

I found a lipgloss that goes on sheer, has great color pigmentation, feels and moisturizes like a lip balm, and...

ITS UNDER $5!!! That's right, NYX's "Butter Gloss" is only $4.99 and it's almost always buy one get one half off at Ulta!

This stuff is really amazing. I picked four shades that I have that I think everyone should keep in their makeup stash: apple strudel, peaches and cream, cupcake, and cherry pie.

Apple Studel is the perfect everyday gloss, mostly nude with a hint of pink. I keep this one in my purse! Peaches and Cream is still subtle enough for everyday but has a coral tint to it. Cupcake is the perfect bright sheer pink, perfect for spring and summer. Last but not least Cherry Pie is a sheer red that I have been searching for forever!! It is a great color that can be worn year round.

Besides Ulta, drugstore.com, Target, Nordstrom, amazon.com, and nyxcosmetics.com all sell this wonder product.

Have you tried this brand? What did you think? What is your favorite gloss? I'd love to hear!

Xoxo Lindsey